When Dodge launched the 2006 Charger and the 2008 Challenger, a lot of people that think they know cars stated that it's blasphemy to make a four-door Charger and that the modern Challenger is a fat little so and so with Mercedes-Benz W211 E-Class suspension and five-speed auto. But us folks with gasoline running through our veins and a big appetite to smoke the rear tires as often as possible did not share those shallow-minded opinions.
And the greatest argument to shut the mouths of those haters is the supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcat V8 tower-of-power. This isn't a game of Top Trumps. What Dodge and SRT have done with the 2015 Challenger SRT Hellcat and the recently unveiled 2015 Charger SRT Hellcat is to demolish the competition and the biased fanboys with an Internet connection. Just think about it: the Challenger SRT Hellcat is the most powerful mass produced muscle car ever made, while the Charger SRT Hellcat laughs in the face of every other sedan in the world.
The Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG develops "a mere" 621 ponies from its twin-turbocharged V12 mill. Oh, another thing: it costs $222,000 in the United States. Of course, that amount of money gets you a lot of luxury and bespoke paraphernelia, but keep in mind that in terms of oomph, the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat has 86 more horsepower. All yours for a starting price of expected to be around $60,000. That's an offer you can't refuse. To hell with comfort features and unnecessary seat massaging and other gizmos! The 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat is the blue collar way of doing fast and rowdy.
Want more reasons why the all-new Charger with the blown 6.2-liter Hellcat engine is the new yardstick? How about an 11-second 1/4 mile run on street tires? 0 to 100 mph (160 km/h) and back to a complete stop in under 13 seconds? A top speed of 204 mph (328 km/h)? What about the 8HP90 TorqueFlite heavy-duty eight-speed auto transmission that shifts fast and smooth as well? Or the fact that you can get it with a six-speed manual and a clutch pedal? There are a lot of things to like about this car, except for the...
...tacky Motley Crue song in the promo video below. Check the press release below for the full monty.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News